Experimental and Numerical Study on the Response of Stay Cables under Vehicle Collision on Cable-Stayed Bridges

Abstract

Abstract Although numerous studies have focused on vehicle impacts on bridge piers, the effects of direct collisions on stay cables in cable-stayed bridges remain relatively underexplored. To address this gap, this study investigated the dynamic responses of stay cables under vehicular impact through a combination of scaled physical tests and numerical simulations. Inclined scaled cable specimens were tested to replicate realistic collision conditions, capturing dynamic responses such as impact force evolution, cable deformation, and localized damage. The test results indicated pronounced plastic deformation and slippage near the anchorage zones, but no complete cable failure was observed. A finite-element model was developed and calibrated based on the experimental data, and then extended to simulate vehicle-to-cable impacts on a representative bridge at various collision angles. The numerical results showed that guardrails could reduce peak impact forces by up to 84.7% under small-angle impacts. However, as the collision angle increased, the redirection effectiveness of the guardrail was diminished, resulting in a higher probability of direct vehicle–cable contact and increased impact severity. The magnitude of the impact force also increased notably with larger collision angles.